Many people are becoming increasingly interested in preventing the spread of germs and bacteria by keeping their hands clean. It is known that The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recommended rigorous and regular use of soap and water to maintain appropriate hand hygiene. Further they have recommended the use of alcohol-based hand cleansers: gels, wipes and sprays when soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty. It is further known that International Health organizations state that hands are one of the most frequent transmission routes for many infections as they come in direct contact with known portals of entry for pathogens (mouth, nose, conjunctiva of the eyes). Hands are typically the most active parts of the body, and regularly come into contact with other people, or with door handles, desktops, computer keyboards, food items, menus, etc., all of which may be laden with various germs and bacteria that were carried by the hands of other people touching those items. Hands may easily come in contact with germs or bacteria such as the common cold, flu, norovirus, e. coli, and many other dangerous diseases. The more we encourage hand cleanliness to reduce the presence of these germs and bacteria, the healthier we will be.
School age children are at particularly high risk for contacting and spreading germs and bacteria, as they tend to participate in more activities involving other children, and often neglect to maintain proper hand hygiene. The CDC recommends that children in school use alcohol-based hand rubs as an alternative to hand washing. Parents are often looking for convenient ways to encourage hand cleanliness among their children.
Some people use alcohol based gels that are designed to be rubbed on the hands and air dry. These gels are typically not recommended as the sole cleansing agent for hands that are visibly dirty. In these circumstances the hand gel used in conjunction with a sanitizing hand wipe provides a much improved alternative when soap and water are not available. Thus, many people like to have the benefit of available hand wipes, dry or moist, to assist in the removal of dirt as well as any remaining gel residue. Importantly, the term “hand wipe” as used herein and throughout the specification, is intended to encompass all manner of commonly known tissues or towelettes, moist or dry, which are intended to be used in wiping ones hands.
Hand gels and hand wipes are currently offered in a variety of typically disposable dispensers designed for various applications. Hand wipes are offered in many different packages, from individual single use foil packaging to large volume dispensers. If the hand wipes are moist, then the packaging system must also include the means to aid in maintaining the moisture level of the hand wipes. Comparatively larger hand gel dispensers typically have some type of pump to facilitate small amounts of gel being delivered directly into the palm of the hand, however hand sanitizing gels are also available in small squeeze bottle delivery systems.
One popular application for use of hand cleansers and moist hand wipes is placing them within a vehicle. In the car, the hand wipes may be used not only to assist in keeping one's hands clean, but also to keep frequently hand contacted parts of the vehicle clean, i.e. steering wheel, door handles etc., that have higher risk of germ contact. For the convenience of storing hand wipes in the vehicle, U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,775 issued to Parkes, et al. and U.S. Published Patent Application 2006/0076357 filed by Braat, et al. disclose hand wipe dispensers designed to fit within a vehicle cup holder.
However, the use and dispensing of hand wipes alone, without sanitizing gel, is not optimal in fighting the spread of germs and bacteria. While placing a hand wipe dispenser in the vehicle cup holder unquestionably provides convenience, the inability to conveniently store multiple cleansing agents means less options and that gel will not be used as often when attempting to clean hands in the vehicle.
Thus, there is clearly a need for a dispenser for both hand wipes and hand sanitizing gel that fits conveniently within a vehicle cup holder, and is portable so that it may be used outside of the vehicle as well. Such a combined dispenser would allow for having both items available and easily stored in the car. Such a dispenser may be disposable, but is preferably refillable, so that hand wipes and gel may be refilled as needed, because they will not likely be depleted simultaneously.